Navigating the Insurance Roller Coaster: Securing Coverage for My Rivian R1S
When I paid the non-refundable deposit, I was thrilled to begin my journey with the 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Max. Little did I know, the real adventure would be securing the right insurance plan. As a long-time Tesla owner, I switched to Tesla Insurance as soon as it became available and never thought I’d need to shop around again. Their coverage, ease of use, and peace of mind have been unmatched. Having filed a hit-and-run claim before, I know firsthand how effortless the process is compared to other providers I’ve used.
Even when I replaced my 2018 Model 3 Performance with a 2023 Model X Long Range and saw a slight price increase, I was still paying under $300 per month for full coverage for two drivers—$262, to be exact. $262 for a 2023 Model X plus a 2017 Model S is a very good deal in my humble opinion.
Sure, I had read the news about rising car insurance costs and heard others complain, but I was quite content with my $262 monthly premium—until I bought a Rivian. That’s when things changed.
Rivian, much like Tesla, offers a smooth and enjoyable car shopping experience. The online portal is intuitive, guiding you step-by-step through the entire process—driver registration, financing application, delivery confirmation, insurance application/proof submission, and contract signing. Everything felt seamless… except for one critical piece I completely overlooked: insurance.
Rivian does offer its own insurance plan through Nationwide, and naturally, you’d think it would simplify things—much like Tesla’s insurance does. While it might reduce some of the hassle, the price definitely gave me pause when I saw my quote. I used nearly identical coverage to my Tesla plan: 10,000 miles/year, $1,000 deductibles, $1,000 medical payments, $100,000/$300,000 for bodily injury, $50,000 for property damage, basic roadside assistance, and full glass coverage. But the quote was far higher than I expected—$304 per month, for just one vehicle. Just for your information, I had 0 accidents at fault since I started driving.
I then reached out to the advisor to see if there was anything they could adjust or improve. I also asked them to add my Tesla Model X to the plan, hoping for a multi-car bundle discount. The advisor was extremely responsive and quick to act. Just seven minutes after I submitted the contact form, I received a reply. After providing the necessary details for my Model X, I had a comprehensive quote in my inbox within 20 minutes.
The premium for my R1S dropped to $1,514.83 for six months, or about $252 per month. My Model X was quoted at $1,729.37 for six months, or $288 per month. Combined, my monthly payment for both vehicles would jump from $262 to $524 if I went with Rivian’s insurance plan. The advisor tried to sweeten the deal, highlighting a few “policy benefits” in the email: Policy Highlights:
Policy offers New Car Replacement for the Rivian which pays out up to 110% of the original MSRP in the event of a total loss.
Provides a guarantee to pay for new OEM parts so that the claims process isn't bogged down by a claim representative trying to only pay out for salvage parts or look for aftermarket parts that don't exist.
A $0 glass deductible. There's a lot of glass to break on this vehicle.
By insuring the Rivian with us Rivian offers access to the Rivian shop for an expedited vehicle replacement god forbid there is ever a total loss. Rivian does not want you to have to go through the waiting process again.
We have a dedicated claims team trained to handle Rivian claims specifically so you never have to worry about your Rivian claim not being handled properly.
I didn’t give up. I decided to call Tesla Insurance to update my policy and see how my monthly payment would change if I swapped out my 2017 Model S for the 2025 R1S. Yes, you can typically do this easily in the Tesla App, but when I tried earlier this morning, I kept getting error messages asking me to call instead. The call center seemed pretty busy, so I turned to Reddit and the Rivian Owners Forum to see what others were experiencing. While many were receiving even higher quotes, a few lucky ones managed to score great deals with other providers, which inspired me to shop around.
I went through the usual suspects—StateFarm, GEICO, Mercury, and several other reputable companies—but none of them offered me a reasonable quote. The cheapest was $470 per month for both vehicles, and the most expensive was over $1,000 per month.
By the way, many on the forum recommended Costco, but it's not even availbe for people in California anymore... God knows why.
At this point, I was feeling pretty frustrated, wondering if I had made a mistake by going with a non-Tesla vehicle. Then, on a whim, I reopened the Tesla App to see if the error message would go away—and it did! I entered my Rivian’s VIN and submitted all the required information. And BOOM! I finally received a quote—and it was shockingly competitive. After removing my 2017 Model S Long Range and adding my 2025 R1S, the monthly payment for both vehicles and two drivers came to just $316. I immediately confirmed the quote with my credit card. Crisis averted!
With my proof of insurance submitted, the purchase agreement signed, and the down payment processed, I’m officially set to hit the road in my R1S on 9/29. I hope this article helps anyone who just got a Rivian and is freaking out over the insane insurance quotes. My advice? Try Tesla Insurance!
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